The crimping of terminals about a stranded wire to form a solderless electrical connection is known. A common terminal has two wings which project laterally outward and in opposite directions from one-another. The wings are wrapped about the stranded wire or cable and the distal edge of each wing is curled back into the stranded wire and crimped or embedded therein. For mechanical integrity of the connection, the terminals are made of a conductive metallic material which is harder than the conductive metallic material of the stranded wire. Typically, the harder the material the better, however, not so hard that the wings crack under stress when crimped to the stranded wire. One such material combination is a terminal made of brass and a stranded wire made of copper.
For electrical integrity of the connection, the inward surfaces of the terminal are known to have serrations designed to cut or scrub through the naturally occurring outer oxidation layer of the stranded wire which would otherwise degrade electrical continuity. To further improve electrical continuity and enhance anti-corrosion features, the copper stranded wire is often plated with tin. Although tin is prone to oxidation, it is more pliable than copper and flows easier with respect to the terminal when crimped, thereby providing a cleaner metal-to-metal contact. Unfortunately, the applications for stranded wire use is limited because of its tendency to flex creating potential shorts with nearby electrical components (i.e. circuit board) if not insulated with a non-conductive coating or rubber. Such insulated wire connections are expensive to manufacture, sensitive toward heat, and are much larger than solid core wires or male pins. These characteristics can further limit the design applications available and negatively effect feasibility.
Especially common for circuit board applications, male pins or solid core conductors or blades are preferred over stranded wires because of their reduced size and rigidity which prevents electrical shorts without having to be insulated. Unfortunately, the distal edges of the wings of the terminals do not embed within the male pin when the terminal is crimped to the male pin as they do in a stranded wire. Therefore, the wings would tend to spring-back, loosening their mechanical engagement to the male pin until the electrical continuity fails. Because of this, the mechanical and electrical engagement of a male pin to a circuit board or to a conventional terminal must include soldering or sonic welding which is labor intensive, expensive, and often requires specific metals and/or platings to secure the connection.